Even if the brand names were not integrated into their design, I’m guessing at least 99.99% of people on the planet could recognize and name the brand each represents. But, hey, if global recognition and world domination in your industry isn’t good enough for you, here are a few more reasons:

A logo is important because it:
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1. Reveals your identity

Remember those old Westerns where cowboys branded cattle? They did it to mark ownership. Your logo should do the same thing (minus the pain of a red hot branding iron). Imprinted on your products, your business card and your website, your logo communicates ownership. It can tell the world/potential customers who you are, what type of product or service you sell, or what benefit you offer consumers.

The Swirl Frozen Yogurt logo leaves little doubt about the product the company sells, while the Noble Pillow logo plays up the company’s regal-sounding name and communicates that this pillow brand is fit for royalty. Typically a symbol of wisdom, the owl in the Little Minds Book Box window speaks to the benefit to the consumer, i.e., smart kids.

2. Invites new customers to get to know you

We don’t live in a monochromatic world. People are drawn to interesting design and color. The logo that marks your package or adorns your storefront should be designed to draw interest and pique the curiosity of your potential customers, prompting them to at least look, and hopefully purchase your product.

The Forager’s Table restaurant, which specializes in farm-to-table cuisine, entices eaters into their establishment with a logo that has an organic style. They can serve this logo up on signage, menus and their website to draw in hungry consumers searching for this specific dining experience.

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The logo for this line of skin care cosmetics perfectly communicates the product benefits—fresh, gentle, natural, healthy. Effective simplicity like this makes me want to pull it from the shelf and put it in my cart.

3. Distinguishes you from the competition

There are certain symbols that come to represent particular industries or products. For example, how many pizza places have you seen with a logo that features an Italian, mustachioed chef with a tall white hat and a wide grin? Maybe holding a ridiculously huge pizza? A good logo reflects who you are, but it should also distinguish you from everybody else. A good logo should dare to be different.

While one wouldn’t typically associate a bear in the woods with an investment company (and may actually avoid bear imagery and its association with a bad market) the Bear Creek Capital logo does a good job differentiating this company with a rustic image that matches its name. And certainly the Midnight Pizza logo is a far cry from that grinning Italian chef we’re used to seeing. Plus, I think we can all relate to the wolf howling for pizza late at night.

4. Facilitates brand loyalty

From time to time, a company will redesign their logo, perhaps to update their look or reflect some other corporate change. As a marketer, I get this. As a consumer, I hate it. When I’ve become accustomed to my favorite brands’ logo and they change it, I feel a little betrayed. Now I’ve got to retrain my brain to look for something new. Brand loyalty is huge and something every business needs to foster. A recognizable and familiar logo goes a long way toward building brand loyalty.

Both of these logos are bright, distinctive, and interesting enough to be memorable. Their placement on products would make finding them on a crowded shelf quite easy.

5. Can be everywhere

Placing your logo on all of your marketing, packaging, products, social media, website, etc. is a way to advertise your brand and your message consistently, whether it’s in the store, in your customers’ homes, online, i.e., everywhere you want to be. If you’ve developed your brand message and successfully tied it to your logo, everything you do and create becomes associated with the logo and the brand.

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The author

At age 7, after penning her critically acclaimed autobiography, Kris discovered the satisfaction derived from crafting well-written prose. A career emerged. When she isn’t running 5Ks or imagining (aka, deluding herself) that George Clooney is secretly in love with her, she’s exploring new ways to make a kajillion dollars as a freelance writer. Apparently, posting to Facebook every day, all day long is not as lucrative as one might think.